What do the 2010 Chicago Bears and the 2012 Washington Redskins have in common? Both had franchise quarterbacks who due to knee injuries were playing their respective playoff games on one leg and both didn’t make the Super Bowl in their respective playoff runs.

This however is where the similarities between these two organizations end. Lovie Smith had a lot of faults as a head coach but not allowing Jay Cutler back into the Championship game against the Green Bay Packers was one of his better decisions.

Cutler struggled in that game partly due to the knee injury he sustained during the game, but also because he hasn’t figured out how to beat the Packers yet. That being said the horrible injury sustained by Robert Griffin III on Sunday night versus the Seattle Seahawks highlighted why living to fight another day, was the more prudent course of action.

Unless you are a complete moron, by now you may just about have figured out that Cutler wanted back into the Championship game but training staff and ultimately Smith shut him down for his own good.

Cutler was crucified in the national media, by his own peers in the NFL and by fans that lapped up the ridiculous reporting and analysis from ‘expert’ pundits and commentators everywhere.

Despite dealing with Type 1 diabetes and playing behind one of the worst offensive lines ever put together in the NFL since he stepped in the door, Cutler was branded a quitter, a fraud and was questioned for a lack of toughness. The coaching staff were neither commended nor lambasted for their part in shutting Cutler down, it was all on Cutler.

Fast forward to last Sunday and not just the nation, but the world watched as RG3 and his knee feel to pieces as his coach Mike Shanahan and medical staff showed a shocking disregard for the protection of a rookie quarterback that the Redskins organization has invested three first-round and one second-round draft picks in to acquire as their franchise QB.

Somehow this now becomes the fault of RG3, who even though clearly injured after the 1st quarter says he is still fit to perform and to the detriment of his team, can’t perform his role to a sufficient standard to get the job done and now faces a minimum 6-8 month layoff as his knee reconstruction heals.

Football players are taught to play through pain; it is the job of the people in charge of them to shut them down when they are clearly injured and only going to do more damage to themselves and the team, than good.

Rather than headlines that apologize for the deplorable manner in which Cutler was treated two seasons ago, as well as reading headlines that Shanahan is a complete moron for his deplorable handling of the RG3 injury, the current vibe around the national media seems to be blame the QB not the man in charge or headlines such as this one “Is Jay Cutler to blame for the injury to RG3”.

So here it is; everyone who still wants to believe Cutler quit on his team needs to grow up, you’re flat out wrong. Anyone who doesn’t think Shanahan is to blame for the RG3 injury, grow up, you’re wrong. It is time the media stopped this nonsensical babbling about Cutler it happened two years ago, stop cheapening your product by with this garbage reporting.

The truth of the matter is this, Lovie Smith was right and Mike Shanahan was wrong, and unfortunately it has taken a horrid injury to a very talented player in RG3 to redeem the name of Cutler once and for all.